Long Beach to announce audit showing $18M in unpaid tickets

LONG BEACH - City officials today will announce the findings of an audit showing about $18 million in unpaid parking citations.

Financial planners, meanwhile, project a three-year, $26.1 million budget shortfall in Long Beach.

City Auditor Laura Doud declined to speak about the audit ahead of a planned joint press conference with Mayor Bob Foster's office. Both declined to release a copy of the report.

A pilot program was enacted in 2009 in an attempt to put the squeeze on scofflaws in connection with the 18,900 vehicles known to have five or more unpaid parking citations totaling $11.7 million from 2003 to 2007.

At the time, the city purchased 20 wheel clamps or "boots" for $500 each, or $10,000, to target offenders located by parking enforcement officers.

Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske claimed an update on the program and improvements to the city's citation collection system were never delivered.

She called the problem "disturbing" considering the reductions made during the past several years of continuing budget deficits.

"We need to clean house before we talk about cutting services again," Schipske said.

Schipske suggested that the city contract out billing and collection services for parking citations, ambulance and paramedic services or sell the uncollected revenue to an outside factoring agency that would pay the city a percentage of the amounts owed.